silicon solar cell Archives – The Green Optimistic

Human Eyes Hold Secret to Improved Solar Cell Efficiency

Mila Luleva — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 11:02:20 +0000

Searching for ways to improve solar cell efficiency, a team of scientists found that tiny structures in the human eye have special mechanisms that can be adapted to silicon solar cells to make them better at collecting light. Many research teams have looked towards nature to find inspiration for improvements in various technologies. This is often […]

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New, Cheaper Silicon Wafer Technology Developed in The U.S., Used by Korean Company

Ovidiu Sandru — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 12:55:39 +0000

Hanwha SolarOne, a Korea-based company, and Crystal Solar, a Santa Clara, California startup are collaborating to produce world’s cheapest silicon solar cells by using a new technology developed by the latter. Silicon wafers are the most expensive part of a silicon solar cell and have so far decided on the final price. The industry has […]

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Delft Researcher Modifies Amorphous Silicon Solar Cells' Production Line to Raise Efficiency

Ovidiu Sandru — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 17:47:08 +0000

Amorphous silicon solar cells lose their efficiency during the first hours of sunlight exposure, because of the phenomenon called the Staebler-Wronski effect, which has not yet been fully explained by science. After several hours of sunlight, these types of solar cells lose about a third of their efficiency, from 10 to 7 percent.

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New Flexible Silicon Solar Cells Use 99 % Less Material With Same Efficiency

Ovidiu Sandru — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 19:07:13 +0000

CalTech researchers discovered a new way to make silicon solar cells that not only use 1 percent of the material needed to make conventional cells, but which are also thin and flexible, making them suitable for a much larger palette of uses in all kinds of applications. And let's not mention the fact that the price will be considerably lower, respectively.

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Amazing Experiment Creates 3D Self-Folding Solar Cell Around Water Droplet

Ovidiu Sandru — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:23:45 +0000

University of Illinois researchers discovered a method to manufacture three-dimensional, single-crystalline silicon solar cells from thin films. They used photolithography and a process driven by capillary interaction that made the micron-thick film to bend around itself.

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Highly Efficient Flexible Silicon Solar Cells Invented

Ovidiu Sandru — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 08:26:12 +0000

Scientists from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Northwestern University invented a silicon solar cell. The interesting fact is that it's flexible and it can be printed on a curved surface or a fabric. Although solar paint has been produced, there are a few situations where you'd rather use more solid solar cells (like porous surfaces, where paint cannot be applied well).

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